Seabrook’s own: MMA fighters Charles and Lucas Rosa take center stage at Foxwoods

SEABROOK — Two Rosas for the price of one.

That's the compelling deal for local mixed martial arts fans this Saturday night as Seabrook’s Charles “Boston Strong” and Lucas “King of Monsters” Rosa headline Classic Entertainment and Sports (CES) MMA 78 at the Grand Cedar Ballroom at Foxwoods Resort and Casino .

The main event will feature Charles Rosa’s first defense of his CES world lightweight title, which he captured at the same venue in May as he squares off with dangerous MMA veteran Patrick “The PNB Badboy” Benson (7-7).

Featured on the undercard is his younger brother and former Winnacunnet state wrestling champ, who is looking to improve to 3-0 as a pro and continue his rocket-like trajectory in his quest to follow his brother’s footsteps to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

“You get to see the champion of the world, and you get to see the future,” said the elder Rosa, who touched down with Lucas in Seabrook from his home in Boca Raton Tuesday with his title belt in tow to complete his final days of training at his parents Chucky and Mary's house on Seabrook Beach.

“I am excited, and it’s going to be historic. You get to see the No.1 prospect in the world and the champion of the world on the same night.”

Charles Rosa fought 13 times on MMA’s greatest stage, the UFC , but at 37 and facing the prospect of just fighting once or twice a year for the UFC, he reluctantly took his release last October. Rosa admits that it was humbling at first, but he has enjoyed a rebirth with New England’s top promotional organization, CES.

Rosa (17-8) stopped menacing Jonathan Gary just 47 seconds into his return to CES last October. He then captured the organization’s world title in May by taking out one of the top-ranked fighters in New England, Josh Harvey, in just 2:45 of the first round in Foxwoods to capture his first world title as a pro.

Just a few weeks shy of his 38th birthday, Rosa, who headlined three sold-out UFC cards at the Boston Garden in his eventful 16-year UFC odyssey, says he has never felt more dangerous in the octagon.

“The UFC has built a huge platform for me, and I’ve done amazing, and I have nothing but good things to say in what they have done for my career,” said Rosa, who has sold out his last two cards for CES and relishes seeing his name on top of the billboard once again.

“At the end of the day, I still think the UFC is the biggest promotion, but I’m also a prizefighter. I fight to make a living for myself and to do what I love to do. I still think I can beat anyone in the world.

“I’m a much better fighter now than I ever was in the UFC.”

Fighting out of Washington state, Benson (7-7) comes in on a two-bout win streak and is ranked ninth in New England.

“He’s a solid veteran with a solid wrestling background,” Rosa noted. “He’s a tough customer.”

“When you’re a professional fighter, you eat, train, sleep and repeat,” Rosa cautioned. “At the end of the day, this is what he does, this is all he does.”

Beyond avoiding Benson’s lethal grappling holds, perhaps the biggest obstacle to overcome for Rosa Saturday may simply be the mixed emotions of not being in Lucas’ corner earlier in the night. The two brothers live next to each other in Boca Raton and train together under the watchful eye of their coach Charles McCarthy at American Combat Gym. Rosa has been instrumental in not only creating but perfecting the blueprint for his brother to follow in his quest to become a UFC champion.

“Hopefully, if all goes well, I won’t get back to my corner,” Lucas offered with a chuckle.

That has been indeed the case for the King of Monsters , who choked out both of his first two pro competitors in the first round, two weeks apart, in May. Come Saturday night, the 5-foot-9 fighter will be giving up several inches to Montana’s lanky Jacob Kretiel (2-4), who stands 6-foot-1 and comes in with three times as many pro bouts.

Just a different type of monster to slay, says Rosa.

“That’s kind of what I like about fighting,” Lucas noted. “It’s like you’re fighting all these different characters or monsters. Here I’m fighting this tall, rangy type of fighter, and in the last couple of fights I have fought different types (of fighters).”

It took Charles Rosa just 18 months, including four months off due to injury, to rack up an 8-0 mark and make it to the UFC, and he envisions a similar timeline for his 28-year-old kid brother.

“We’re trying to build him up like you would with a boxer,” Charles noted. “So, by the time he makes it to the UFC, he’s not just ready to fight in the UFC but be a UFC champion.”

Tickets for Saturday’s seven-fight card are available at cesfights.com/tickets and on Ticketmaster.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Seabrook’s own: MMA fighters Charles and Lucas Rosa take center stage at Foxwoods